The High Note | Film Review

 

Hey Guys x

I remember seeing the trailers for this film, and instantly wanting to watch it. Not only do I really like the two main actors involved, but I also like musicals and/or films based on music, so I made a note to watch this when I could.

Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) is a singer whose career, while amazing, is starting to feel a bit stale. Her assistant, Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is an aspiring producer, and thinks that she knows exactly how to revive Grace's career. Except she has no experience, and Grace barely knows she exists. Can these women work together in order to reinvigorate Grace's career before everyone forgets who she is?

I really liked this movie. I thought it was going to be a bit generic and formulaic, so it definitely took me by surprise.

The concept of the film feels really safe and familiar. Even if you haven't seen a film exactly like this, the basic concept of two opposites having to work together to save something (in this case, a career) is something that's been done over and over again. But with the right chemistry, it tends to work.

Speaking of chemistry, the chemistry was great between the entire cast, not just these two characters. Other members of the cast include Ice Cube, Kelvin Harrison Jr.,  Zoe Chao and June Diane Raphael, and the chemistry really worked.

You can't escape how important music is to the film. Not only are we shown this in the music used, but in the words of the characters. Never are we explicitly told 'music is important', but each song used is almost revered. Music is the thing that pulls every character together. And speaking of music, all of the songs in the film felt really on-point. Everything musically about the film really works.  

Even though this isn't a world that most people get to live in, the film feels so rooted in reality that you can almost imagine yourself in it.

For me, the most important thing about the film was the relationships that formed. The relationship between Grace and Maggie is really nice (if a bit unrealistic - is a personal assistant ever that close to their boss?), but also the relationship between Maggie and David (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). These are two characters that you can really root for.

One of the biggest themes of the film is passion, and being truly passionate about something. Watching this film makes you think about your own life and examine what you are passionate about.

The only real problem that I have with this movie is the character of Grace. Tracee Ellis Ross played her beautifully, but she isn't a character that has a lot of substance. She's a neutral character, and most of the time throughout the film it just feels like she is a catalyst for Maggie's story.     

Overall, this is an entertaining, if slightly predictable, feel-good film with a great, heartwarming ending. Definitely watch this if you get the chance.

7.5/10

Lou